nor does she mind them. nor does she floorboard
nor does she nail into place. the reserved friendliness
of sideboards, jumble sales & secondhand afternoons
spruced up like a bike path, a feeling of day planners
& Monday morning errands
with new, favorite, travel mug its ridged barrel
against her palm, the heat against her palm brand new
to the world & fortuitous (the luck
of the corner lot) clear-edged, the smell of watches
& herbal tea (lemongrass & ginger) not
reproachful even though
tiptoe (the essence of posture & working on a stamp)
polite/restrained hankering, fine dining (napkin spikes
& superfluous lip dabs) & picnics
endemic & solicitous; insouciant
& proffering a best light for painting, the polish
of cut & dried expectations the softness of Inca doves
chalk-tipped & slender-beaked as well-placed questions
fish-scaled & red-winged when taking flight
Rose Hunter's book of poetry, glass, was published by Five Islands Press in 2017. Born in Armidale, NSW, she has lived in many different places, and currently finds herself gravitating toward Brisbane and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. More information about her can be found at rosehunterwriting.com. She tweets @BentWindowBooks, a chapbook press she launched this year.